President announces new regional military partnership targeting drug cartels during Shield of the Americas gathering in Florida.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump announced the formation of a new multinational security initiative on Saturday aimed at combating drug cartels across the Western Hemisphere during the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit held at Trump National Doral in Florida.
The president introduced what he called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, a military partnership intended to coordinate regional efforts against transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking and cartel violence throughout the Americas.
Speaking to heads of state and senior officials gathered at the summit, Trump said the coalition would focus on dismantling criminal networks that have expanded rapidly across the region.
“On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region, and you have a lot of it,” Trump said.
“We’re calling this military partnership the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, and that’s what you need. You have cartels. They seem to grow in this region unbelievably rapidly. It has to do with drugs, largely,” he added.
A video of Trump’s remarks at the summit was shared online by the administration’s rapid response account on X.
During the address, Trump highlighted recent enforcement efforts aimed at reducing drug trafficking routes into the United States, particularly maritime smuggling operations.
“You saw what we were doing with the boats coming in… There’s not a lot of people coming in by boats anymore. We knocked down drugs coming in by sea, drugs coming in through water, is down 96 percent. We’re trying to find out who the other four percent are,” Trump said.
Additional footage of the president’s remarks was posted on X.
At the conclusion of the summit ceremony, Trump signed a presidential proclamation outlining the administration’s strategy to counter cartel operations throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The proclamation, published by the White House, outlines four central priorities guiding the coalition’s strategy.
The document states that criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations operating in the Western Hemisphere “should be demolished to the fullest extent possible consistent with applicable law.”
It also calls for expanded coordination between the United States and allied nations to eliminate cartel control over territory and cut off financial resources used to sustain criminal operations.
Under the plan, the United States would also train and mobilize partner nation militaries to strengthen their capacity to dismantle cartel networks and prevent the spread of violence across borders.
The proclamation further states that coalition members should work to prevent outside actors from influencing criminal networks or destabilizing the region.
Another segment of the summit address was shared on X.
Leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean attended the Shield of the Americas Summit, which focused on regional security cooperation, economic development and organized crime.
Attendees included Argentine President Javier Milei; Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira; Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast; Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles; Dominican Republic President Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona; Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa; Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele; Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Honduran President Nasry “Tito” Asfura; Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino; Paraguayan President Santiago Peña; and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Trump said participating nations share common priorities centered on regional stability and economic growth.
According to the president, those priorities include “security, prosperity, free commerce, and the rule of law.”
The newly announced coalition is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation among military and law enforcement agencies across participating countries as governments attempt to curb the influence of cartels responsible for trafficking narcotics and carrying out organized violence throughout the hemisphere.
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